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Sword
of Kings: Tempered By Fate

by
Bill WCopyright 2015 by billwstories Chapter 20 - The
End is Near.

Since
they were unable to find the Sword of Kings in Madumda’s
private apartments, Kieren and his companions were not only becoming
frustrated, but they were also running out of time. If Kieren
was going to use the fabled weapon to destroy the Dark Lord, then
they would have to discover its hiding place soon. They were
all having difficulty believing that they hadn’t been able to
locate the sword in Madumda’s private chambers, since they'd
been positive it had to be hidden somewhere within these three
rooms. Yet after a thorough search, they had nothing to show to
confirm this belief. Since their efforts had proven fruitless,
they began to question their original assumption.

“Jana,
are you positive there aren’t any other places within the
fortress that are guarded?” Alairic asked, in an effort to gain
a better insight into the problem. “Could there be
another place where the Dark Lord might be hiding this sword?”

“No,
my lord elf,” Jana replied. “I have heard of no
other guards being used, other than at the main gate leading into
Treblanc, the entrance to this building and outside of these rooms.”

“Then
it has to be here,” Rhys insisted. “We will just
have to search every millimeter of this area again. We’ll
start in this room and then move back through the other two rooms
until we are successful.”

“But
we’ve searched the entire place already,” Garreth whined,
as his concern grew that they were going to be discovered by the Dark
Lord if they tarried here much longer.

“That
may be, but we need to do it again,” Rhys told him. “The
sword HAS to be here somewhere.”

“I
definitely agree,” Quintain stated emphatically, in support of
the Akiktite’s position. “We'll have to search
these chambers once more. It must be hidden extremely well, so
this time you will have to look beyond the obvious and seek out signs
of any potential hiding places. You must let us know if
anything seems out of the ordinary, no matter how trivial it may
appear.”

The
others concurred with the dwarf, although Garreth did so
reluctantly. Each of them now moved back to his search area
again, ready to start over.

“Wait,”
Alairic announced. “I think we need to switch places and
get fresh eyes at every location.”

After
agreeing to this, they quickly decided who should switch with whom,
before they started looking again. Each individual moved about
his ‘new’ assignment, while carefully seeking any
indication of the hidden artifact. Secretly, they all wanted to
be the one who discovered the sword and to make such a valuable
contribution to their cause.

At this
particular moment, Kieren began to wonder if he should try using the
medallion to help in their effort. Maybe he was supposed to use
it to help find the sword's hiding place. It was a logical
assumption, but he immediately saw a problem with his ability to do
this. Since he could only use a one-word command, which word
would he use?

He could
command it to ‘find’ or ‘seek’, but how would
the medallion know what he was looking for? He could say
‘sword’, but then it might just direct them to one of the
guards’ weapons. Possibly he should say ‘kings’,
but how would the medallion interpret that request? Confused,
Kieren tried to come up with a word that would make the medallion do
what he wanted, but he kept coming up empty.

While the
others were busy with his or her investigation, Qaim suddenly stopped
what he was doing and stood uneasily in the center of the room.
At first no one seemed to notice this fact, but that all changed when
the aignx spoke up. His voice even distracted Kieren from
pondering his current dilemma.

“Qaim
no like this,” the aignx announced, while pointing toward the
sphere located in the corner of the room. “It give Qaim
very bad feeling.”

“What
do you mean?” Kieren asked, while wondering why that particular
object seemed to concern their guide. “What is there
about it that bothers you? Is it magical?”

“Qaim
not sure if it magic. It kind of feels like when we walk with
wizard and he put things in your ears and cloth over your eyes in the
dark,” the aignx announced.

“Do
you mean when we traveled across the Valley of the Dead with Beraut?”
Garreth asked, looking astonished and confused.

“Yes,
like then. It make Qaim’s skin crawl. Qaim feel
funny all over.”

“Why
do you think that object affects Qaim in this manner?” Sedain
wondered, aloud. “And what could it possibly have to do
with the haunted valley?”

“Methinks
it be another part of Madumda’s evil magic,” replied
Turquinine.

“Yes,
I think we all agree about that, but how is it connected?”
Alairic continued. “Everything in this room is part of
his magic, so why does that orb affect Qaim more than anything
else?”

While
this conversation was going on, Jana was busy searching her memory
for a tidbit of information she'd heard in the kitchen one day.
She couldn’t quite recall what it was, other than it had
something to do with her master’s rooms and this information
had sent shivers up her spine when she first heard it.

“Could
Qaim's feelings have something to do with the sword?” Garreth
wondered, hoping that might be the answer.

“I
don’t believe so,” Rhys advised him. “I think
the magic of the sword would give him a positive feeling and be
something that would reassure an innocent like Qaim, instead of
troubling him. The sword might have a negative effect on
Madumda or others dealing in black magic, but I doubt it would affect
the aignx that way.”

“Could
it have anything to do with the condors or that thing that chased us
after we killed the troll?” asked Kieren, in an effort to come
up with an explanation for its air of foreboding.

“Well,
I suppose those might be possibilities,” Rhys responded, while
mulling the suggestion over in his mind, “but we won’t be
able to discover that for sure. The only way we could be
certain would be to destroy it and then see what, if anything,
Madumda suddenly loses control over. The only problem with such
a plan, however, would be that the Dark Lord would immediately know
exactly where we were and what we had done.”

“I’m
afraid he knows part of that already,” Kieren announced, while
appearing more than a little concerned and embarrassed that he hadn’t
disclosed this fact to them earlier. “I think the Dark
Lord realized we were in Treblanc the second I used the medallion.
Beraut warned me that others with magical powers would sense whenever
it was used, but I had no choice. I had to destroy that
creature before it hurt more of us.” Immediately, a wave
of horror overtook the others, once they concluded Kieren was most
likely correct in his assumption.

“Could
this thing hurt us?” Garreth asked, quickly bringing their
attention back to the sphere.

“I
don’t think so,” Alairic told him. “We’ve
already been in here for a considerable amount of time and it hasn’t
harmed us in any way yet. I believe if that were its purpose,
something would have already happened”

“A
point well taken,” Turquinine concurred.

“We
must not dwell on this distraction any longer,” Quintain
suggested. “We need to get back to the task at hand and
focus on finding the sword before Madumda returns to confront us.
If he knows we’re in Treblanc, then it is possible he may show
up any moment.”

The
thought of Madumda suddenly appearing and attacking was enough to
stop anyone from dallying longer and caused each of them to redouble
their efforts to locate the talisman. Since they were
staying in this room, Qaim purposefully moved away from the frosty
orb, because he was still uncomfortable being in such close proximity
to it. He now went over to the opposite corner of the room and
placed himself as far away from the sphere as he could get, without
leaving the chamber entirely.

Once he
had renewed his search, the aignx became extremely interested in a
beam that stood in the far corner of the room. It appeared to
be one of the interior trusses that supported the weight of the
structure overhead and kept it from crashing down around them.
They had seen many others like it throughout the three rooms, but
this one seemed to have garnered the aignx’s curiosity,
although it may have merely been his way of getting his mind off of
the orb. As Qaim busied himself studying the beam more
intently, his efforts were suddenly disturbed when Jana spoke up.

“Wait!”
she said loudly enough to startle the others, “I just
remembered what it was that I heard about this place. One day
while working in the kitchen, one of the guards came down to see the
cook. He plied his charm on her, not only to get a little more
to eat, but it was also a way to set up a rendezvous with her for
later that evening. When she didn’t seem very interested
in his advances, he began to tell her secrets about this place, in
order to gain her interest and acceptance. During this time, he
told her about a number of different things that had happened within
the fortress' walls, but it was the story he told her about these
rooms that bothered me the most. This place is extremely
dangerous and we shouldn’t be here.”

“Why?
What did he tell the cook about this place that made you think this?”
Kieren demanded, because this tidbit of information only heightened
his concerns.

“He
told her he was often required to accompany prisoners to Madumda
quarters, so they could be questioned. He said the fettered men
would struggle and fight with them the entire way, since they knew
about the Dark Lord’s reputation for using any means necessary
to get the information he wanted. They were all terrified about
what awaited them when they got here and fought to get free before
anything could happen.” She paused briefly, so she could
catch her breath and then continued.

“Well
after they took the prisoners inside, they would strap them into
chairs to await questioning. When the guards returned to pick
up the same prisoners later, he claimed those that had been
interrogated were just mindless shells of their former selves and had
no spirit or fight left in them. He said it was as if their
minds were dead, but their bodies failed to accept it. He told
the cook how strange it felt to deal with those people from that
point on, because they willingly did whatever they were told.”
Jana was looking at everyone’s faces and could see they were
hanging on to her every word, as they attempted to figure out what
this information might mean for them.

“He
also told the cook that some of the soldiers believed these captives
had been hypnotized by the Lord Madumda, while still others claimed
he had stolen the minds and souls of those that had been brought
there. They even concluded our Master kept their spirits stored
somewhere within these rooms, because very little was ever taken out
of here. I truly believe that story, for I have seen those who
fit this description. They move about like the dead walking.
This is an extremely evil place and the magic here is very powerful
and very wicked. We must leave these rooms before something
like that happens to us.”

Jana was
visibly trembling now and convinced that what she had reported was
the truth. Unexpectedly, she also made a sudden move toward the
door. As she went to pass by Alairic, he grabbed her by the arm
and prevented her from going further. He then talked soothingly
as he restrained her, hoping it would calm her down.

“If
something like that were going to occur, it would have done so by
now,” he told her, reassuringly. “I don’t
think things of that nature can occur without Madumda being present
to cast his spells or whatever else he might have to do in order to
make it happen. I doubt we have anything to fear, as long as we
finish what we’re doing before he arrives.”

“And
what if he does return?” Jana demanded, while appearing even
more terrified by this prospect.

“Well
if he should return it would place us in a great deal of danger,
unless we have the sword in our possession by the time he has gotten
here,” Rhys informed her. “Therefore, it would
behoove us to continue our search until we find it. The sword
will give us the best possibility of defending ourselves against his
powers.”

The
others agreed with his logic and immediately went back to hunting for
the fabled sword. Jana, however, spent most of her time
watching the doorway and anticipating Madumda’s arrival, rather
than searching for the desired item.

The
companions had been busily checking their assigned areas again, when
Qaim spoke up. This caused each of them to come to a complete
halt once more, as they turned in his direction.

“Qaim
find a secret door,” he announced, quite blandly, but the
others got very excited about his discovery.

“Where?”
Quintain wanted to know.

“Here
in this corner,” Qaim told his diminutive companion.

“Well
open it,” Garreth said, almost breathlessly.

“No,
not yet,” the aignx warned. “Too much magic here.
Qaim not feel magic until he really close. Now magic very
strong. Qaim no hurry. Qaim be careful and then open
door.”

“You
can take your time,” Rhys advised him. “We don’t
want you setting off any traps or inadvertently signaling the Dark
Lord about how close we are to his prize.”

Qaim
nodded and then went about studying the area further. First, he
used both his eyes and nose to uncover anything that might give him
an advantage or a clue about what was there. After that, he
used his ears and deft little fingers, although they weren’t
quite as dexterous with the bandages wrapped around his palms.
Carefully, he felt around to find the hidden catches, although it was
a struggle, and then he listened for them to release. The
others stood holding their breath as they watched him performing
these tasks, all the while thinking back upon Beraut’s words
when he first advised them about the aignx’s special talents.

Even
though the wizard had explained how valuable their hairy little guide
might eventually become, none of them ever truly fathomed how
irreplaceable he would prove to be. Other than when they were
in his home in Briarwood, he hadn’t seemed to fulfill those
lofty expectations. In fact, he seemed quite useless at times,
before he took over in the mountains and led them to the secret
backdoor. It was from that point on that he began to astound
them with what he could do.

From that
moment until now, the aignx had continued to amaze them at nearly
every turn. Each time they encountered a new obstacle, Qaim had
somehow instinctively seemed to know what to do. They were
astounded with how he had detected where the backdoor was located,
even under the mounds of snow, and how he was able to neutralize
every trap they encountered after entering the tunnels leading to the
fortress. They were ever so grateful as he harmlessly set off
those deadly contraptions, after noting any one of those devices
could have killed most, if not all of them, once activated.

After
that, they watched in awe as he guided them through the maze of
intersecting corridors, until they discovered Jana and she led them
the rest of the way. Now, the aignx impressed them once more
with his special talents, but it was obvious this task was even more
complex and potentially as dangerous as any of his previous
challenges.

None of
the companions dared to move or speak, as the aignx noiselessly went
about his duties. They nearly jumped out of their skin, though,
when a loud click signaled the final latch had been released.

“Qaim
open door now,” he dryly announced. “Qaim do as you ask.”

“Excellent
job,” Rhys praised him, even though he couldn’t tell what
sort of reaction the aignx made in response to his words. “You
have done well.”

“I
agree Qaim has proved his usefulness,” Sedain suggested,
although lacking the same degree of enthusiasm, “but please
allow me to check this out further, before we go rushing to
conclusions. I believe a certain amount of caution will still
be required, so I request I be allowed to look for other dangers,
especially if this is the hiding place of the Sword of Kings. I
humbly volunteer for this duty, so I might contribute something more
to this effort.”

“You
have proven your worth several times already,” Rhys corrected
him, “but I believe your suggestion is a wise one and you’ve
earned the right. If you wish this job, then it is yours.
Do what you think you must, but please don’t be afraid to ask
for assistance. The rest of us will remain alert for signs of
danger while you work.”

Hearing
Rhys’ response, the dwarf moved over to the door, which Qaim
had opened just a crack. He quickly studied it for traces of
other hazards before he went further. Qaim, who had overheard
the conversation between the dwarf and Rhys, was totally puzzled by
their continued concern, since he had already assured them it was
safe to continue.

As he
watched Sedain’s cautious actions, he wondered why the others
didn’t think he would have discovered any other devices that
might be present. Frustrated and annoyed, he now spoke up on
his own behalf.

“No
more traps. Qaim take care of all traps. You need not
look for more.”

“I
believe you, Qaim,” the dwarf responded. “It’s
just that I’d rather be safe than regret not checking it out
later.” With that said, Sedain returned to his task and
within minutes he was pulling the door completely open.

Almost as
one, the companions moved closer to the hidden compartment and
strained to see what was contained within. As the sunlight
glinted off the object inside, there was a collective gasp as they
each caught their first glimpse of the object of their search.
It was more beautiful than any of them could have ever imagined, even
considering the many decades of neglect and concealment it had
endured. Yet now it shimmered in the bright light of day.

Sedain
turned and scanned the faces of the others, to see if they were
experiencing the same feeling of awe that he was, before moving back
to the compartment, so he could inspect it more completely. The
dwarf intentionally avoided making any contact with the sword itself,
since he didn’t understand the nature of its power. He
wasn’t certain if it might harm anyone who touched it, other
than someone of royal blood. Therefore, after several more
seconds of gawking at this magnificent artifact, he turned toward his
young companion and spoke.

“Kieren,
this moment belongs solely to you and your bloodline,” Sedain
announced, with a slight bow. “I respectfully offer you
the honor of completing the task of reclaiming this talisman on their
behalf.”

The dwarf
then stepped aside, as the others began to urge Kieren to take the
first step in fulfilling his destiny. He now had an
unobstructed pathway to the sword’s hiding place.
Timidly, Kieren moved forward, totally fascinated by the beauty of
this meticulously crafted weapon. Suddenly, it seemed as if
some unseen force began to lift his arm and gradually pulled it
toward the magnificent blade, until his skin came into contact with
the cold metal hilt.

Slowly,
he moved his fingers over the delicate workmanship, although he was
not completely certain about what he was expected to do next.
Awkwardly, he let his fingers brush over the majestic grip, until he
determined it was time for him to grasp it securely. His heart
almost stopped beating when he started to lift and remove it from its
hiding place. He was also most assuredly amazed by how light it
actually was, as opposed to what he expected. Slowly, he
withdrew the sword from the compartment it had been hidden in and
then turned toward his friends, while holding the sword aloft for all
to see.

Everyone
was beaming with pride at this accomplishment, since each of them had
sometimes privately doubted they would ever get this far.
Suddenly, they had to stifle the urge to shout out in jubilation, as
Kieren proudly displayed the matchless sword and the warm glow of
success swelled within their breasts.

“I
hate to spoil this moment,” Alairic interrupted, “but I
think it would be best if we get out of this place so we can confront
Madumda on our terms, not his. There are many other dangers we
must concern ourselves with first, such as escaping this fortress
before we are discovered. Kieren, cover yourself and the sword
with your robe, because you must survive, even if the rest of us do
not. Jana, would you be so kind as to lead us out of here?”

“Yes,
I will, but only if you promise to take me with you,” the
servant girl answered. Her body language told them she wasn’t
about to compromise on this demand.

“Of
course we will,” Kieren stated, quickly and emphatically,
"because without you we might not have been able to find what we
were looking for. We owe you much more than just freeing you
from this dreadful servitude, so we'll also make sure you get out of
this dreadful place safely and have a chance at a better life.
To help keep you safe along the way, I want you to take my old sword,
because I now have the Sword of Kings. You'll be able use it to
protect yourself, just in case we encounter any other dangers along
the way.”

Jana
nodded slightly before accepting the weapon, but once it was in her
possession she unexpectedly threw her other arm around Kieren's neck
and energetically hugged him to show her appreciation. The
others merely snickered or smirked at her impromptu display of
affection and heartfelt response, while most of them also nodded
their heads in agreement concerning Kieren's generous offer.
The problem was, not everyone seemed to be as totally convinced about
doing these things for her as Kieren was.

First of
all, some of the companions were concerned about the idea of giving
Jana a sword. It wasn't that they were fearful she might wield
it against them, but they weren't convinced she would be able to use
the blade effectively to defend herself if the need arose.
There was always the possibility that she might unintentionally wind
up endangering or injuring one or more of them in the process,
especially if she began to swing the weapon about wildly as she
lashed out at whatever threat happened to be near her at the time.

The
second concern was that there was a better than average chance they
would be facing additional obstacles and other potentially dangerous
situations before they managed to escape the fortress. For this
reason, those questioning this decision were debating whether it
would be wise to expose Jana to even more danger. If they took
her along with them, they had no way of knowing how she would handle
herself or hold up under such stressful and threatening conditions.
Would she end up proving to be more of a hindrance or an asset as
they attempt to escape this foreboding lair? Would her lack of
skill possibly put them all at greater risk or significantly impact
their chances in any way?

After
thinking about this for a couple more minutes, those still uncertain
about including her eventually concluded that she was their best hope
of finding a way out of this predicament. She at least had some
awareness of the layout of the fortress, but she also had a better
idea about what might be awaiting them from this point on.

“Then
follow me and I will show you the way out of here,” Jana
announced, interrupting their thoughts and internal debate. Her
face was radiating with appreciation as she whirled about and
prepared to leave, but then she stopped and didn't go any further
when someone asked another question.

“Will
we encounter any more guards before we get out of here?”
Garreth wanted to know.

“Yes,
I think so,” she conceded, “unless you go back the way
you came. I don’t know that way, so you’d have to
show me where to go after I returned you to the place where we first
met.”

“No,
that is not an option any longer and it would take us too far away
from where we need to be,” Kieren stated, very
matter-of-factly. “We must travel to the Plains of Asimae
first, so I can get help from Beraut before I confront Madumda.
Is there a way out of this place that’s not as well guarded?”

“No,
the only route out that I know of is through the main entrance to the
building. It has always been my understanding that doorway is
the only way to enter or exit this place; although I had also heard
rumors that the secret path my father had planned to use was still
there as well. I suspect that’s how you got in here.”
Jana scanned their faces and watched their reactions to her comment,
before pausing to see what they decided to do next.

“That’s
certainly not encouraging news,” Rhys remarked, “but I
guess we don’t have any choice in the matter. In that
case, let’s get moving.”

“Not
quite yet,” Kieren announced, as he walked across the room to
where the sphere was located. “There’s still this
orb and the feeling Qaim had about it that makes me feel compelled to
do something about it before we leave.” At this point,
Kieren reached out and touched the sphere. Ever so gently, he
let his palm slide across its smooth surface.

“What
hast thou in mind?” rumbled the big Mitikuan.

“I’m
not quite sure, but I feel we just can’t leave it,” the
young man told them, while thinking it over.

“No,
don’t mess with it!” Garreth urged his friend, as a look
of panic washed over his face. “It’s some sort of
magical object, so it might have a power that could harm you if you
try to do something to it.”

“I
appreciate your concern, Garreth,” Kieren replied, “but
we have been facing many dangerous situations throughout this entire
mission. I can’t back away from this problem now, just
because of what MIGHT happen. I don’t think this is
nearly as risky as some of the other things we’ve been forced
to deal with, but I have the feeling it will lessen the Dark Lord’s
grip somehow and maybe even make it a bit easier when I face him
later.” Each of them, with the possible exception of Qaim
and Jana, got chills from the thought of his eventual showdown with
the sorcerer.

“But
that’s not a good enough reason to take an extra risk,”
Garreth argued, since he didn’t wish to lose another friend.

“No,
but it is also not a reason to ignore it either,” Kieren
challenged. “I think that by destroying this device we
will take away some of Madumda’s superiority. It may
severe his control over his pets or neutralize some other magical
advantage he now holds. I have to go with my instincts on this,
my dear friend, as well as considering Qaim’s reaction when he
first encountered it. I must take this opportunity to destroy
it if there is any chance it might weaken Madumda, even if only
slightly.”

Once more
Kieren began to investigate the frosty looking ball, as he searched
for a clue to tell him what he should do to it. It appeared to
have a solid covering, with no seams or visible openings, and the
only other connection was the wooden cross-frame on which it rested.
Walking around the orb several times, Kieren didn’t make any
comment or ask for suggestions, but merely continued to examine the
oddity. After searching every inch of it, he finally decided
what he must do.

Stepping
back slightly, Kieren lifted the sword above his head, before
forcefully slamming the cutting edge of the blade against its
surface. There was a thunderous crack as the sword made contact
with the orb, followed by a gust of foul smelling wind, which
unexpectedly blew everyone backward.

Kieren,
Garreth, Jana and Qaim were the most severely effected by this event
and were thrown completely off balance by the surprisingly forceful
blast of air. Each one was either knocked to the floor or
slammed against the wall, but none of them were seriously injured.
The warriors appeared to fare much better, mainly because of their
superior size, increased weight or lower center of gravity.
These advantages helped the others to stay upright, although each one
was still slightly shaken.

There was
also an eerie and unsettling sound that accompanied the escaping
wind. Presumably, it had been caused by the air forcefully
rushing through the opening Kieren had just made.

“Kieren,
are you all right?” Garreth screamed, as he regained his
footing and raced to his friend’s side. Kieren was
slightly dazed by what had happened, but he managed to look up and
smile at his friend.

“Yes,
I’m fine,” he admitted. “I have not been
harmed, only knocked on my butt, but thank you for your concern.”

Garreth
smiled back and reached out his hand to help his mate stand again.
Kieren grasped onto Garreth’s outstretched palm and started to
pull himself off of the floor, but doing this nearly dragged Garreth
down with him in the process.

“What
was that all about? What just happened when you smashed that
thing?” Garreth followed, as soon as they were both standing.

“I’m
not certain, but I think I just let more than the cat out of the
bag,” Kieren responded, while giving a wry grin. “I
have the feeling the Dark Lord has been keeping something confined in
the orb, although I’m not sure what it might be. I'm
fairly certain, however, that he won’t be happy about what I’ve
done to it.” While the two boys were busy inspecting the
shattered sphere, someone else posed another question.

“What
was that smell?” Jana inquired, while wrinkling up her nose in
disgust.

“I
think it was the smell of air that has been stagnant for much too
long a time,” Quintain offered.

“I’d
say it smelled more like the tanner’s stall back at Leander,”
Garreth countered, while sniffing the air tentatively. However,
the overpowering odors they had first encountered had already
partially dissipated.

“I
think it was more of a cross between the smell of wet animal fur and
a stagnant pond,” Rhys added. “It was repulsive, to
say the least.”

“Enough!”
boomed Turquinine. “Thou hast no time for such prattle.
By now Madumda will knoweth of our deeds and cometh to confront us.
Mistress Jana, wilst thou please lead us from this place?”
The servant girl nodded, although she was slightly unnerved by the
large knight’s domineering attitude.

“Our
big friend is correct,” Rhys added. “This last act
probably alerted the Dark Lord of our treachery in his quarters, even
though he more than likely knew we were already in Treblanc.
Kieren, it is time for you to secure yourself and the sword in your
robe, just to be safe.

“Turquinine
and Alairic,” Rhys continued, “I would like you to be
responsible for guarding Kieren as we attempt to get out of this
place. Garreth and Qaim, you stay with them. I will walk
beside Jana as she leads the way and the dwarfs shall bring up the
rear, while protecting our backsides. Now, let’s go back
to the other room.”

Slowly,
they opened the door between the two chambers and checked to make
certain no one else had entered while they had been doing their
search. Once they felt it was safe to do so, they exited the
laboratory and stood inside the main room again, with each one
tightly clutching his weapon of choice. Alairic then walked
over to the door that led into the hallway and placed an ear against
it, as he listened for any sounds coming from the other side.
Since he didn't hear anything that alarmed him, he carefully opened
the wooden portal a tiny bit, so he could peer into the open expanse
that lay beyond.

Qaim
shied away from the bodies of the two guards as he passed by them and
was anxious to get away from this place once and for all.
Before long, Alairic pulled the door completely open and glided out
into the corridor, closely followed by the others.

“Where
to now?” Rhys asked Jana.

“We
need to go this way,” she responded, while pointing toward the
passageway to their left.

The
companions then moved stealthily in that direction, but they hadn’t
gone very far before discovering they were at the top of a long,
wide, elaborate stairway. From what they could see from the
balcony, it led to a large foyer below.

“We
must go down these stairs and through that doorway over there,”
Jana urged, while indicating the entranceway on the far wall of the
foyer. “The doorway that leads outside is at the other
end of the corridor that lies beyond this opening, but it will be the
most dangerous part.”

“Why?”
asked Alairic. “How many guards are stationed there?”

“I’m
not sure, but possibly six to eight,” she told him.

“You’re
not sure?” Garreth asked, amazed and concerned.

“Well
I’ve never had a chance to count them,” she admitted,
somewhat offended by his question. “You forget that I am
not allowed to go to places like this. I have only been able to
lead you due to the stories I have heard and because the levels are
laid out similar to the ones below. However, when it comes to
how many soldiers you will find there, I can only guess at their
number. I am only able to do this because I can recall some the
comments the guards have made while eating.”

“I’m
very sorry about what I said. I forgot how badly you’ve
been treated here,” Garreth responded shyly. “I
truly regret if what I said sounded harsh.”

“Don’t
worry. I’ve been treated far worse,” she responded,
while trying to hide a tear that had been forming in the corner of
her eye.

Silently,
they resumed their escape and began to painstakingly make their way
down the staircase. As they did so, each one constantly
scanned the surrounding area and searched for any threats to their
safety. They were gradually inching their way down the
staircase and slowly moving in the direction of the exit to the
fortress. Those in the lead had just passed the midpoint of the
stairway when the giant doors leading into the foyer burst open.

Immediately
the companions focused on the opening and then recoiled slightly, as
a very agitated Madumda came storming into the foyer.
Instinctively, he slammed the door shut behind him again, even before
he realized the others were there.

Kieren
and his protectors froze in place, but the warriors still clung
fiercely to their weapons, as they prepared to defend the heir.
Each of their minds raced wildly, as they tried to determine what
they should do next, but one thing was very clear. The long
awaited showdown was about to take place.

* * *
* * *
* *

I
wish to extend my thanksto
Scott, Emoe57, Andy, John and Donny for editing or their suggestions
with this story.

E-mail responses to the stories, story
suggestions, or other ‘constructive’ comments or advice
may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com
- but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn’t
get deleted as junk mail.

My other stories can be found at:
http://www.nifty.org/nifty/frauthors.html